The Mentoring Core will advance the Center's aim to increase the cadre of minority nurse researchers by providing an enriched research apprenticeship for minority undergraduate and master's level nursing students. The Mentoring Core will build on a pilot program created through a prior NINR funded parmership between North Carolina Central University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill that provided an enriched research apprenticeship to minority undergraduate nursing students. The proposed project will build on the success of that pilot and expand the program to include master's students, as well as undergraduates, and to incorporate a second Historically Black University, Winston Salem State University (WSSU). The objectives of the Mentoring Core are to increase the number of minority nursing students electing to continue on to master's and doctoral study with the long-term goal of expanding the cadre of minority nurse investigators by: (1) creating a mentored research experience for selected minority undergraduate and master's nursing students by partnering them with faculty mentors conducting research on health disparities; (2) enriching minority students' mentored research experiences through: a. participation in conferences and seminars related to health disparities and culturally competent research, b. completion of independent research projects, c. guided opportunities for systematic reflection and growth, and d. an introduction to opportunities for graduate study; and (3)advancing the cultural competence of faculty by translating what is learned from working with the REAP students and faculty mentors to develop and strengthen the infrastructure for mentoring minority students at all three Academic Partner Institutions. The Mentoring Core will focus on undergraduate and master's students; mentorship programs aimed at doctoral students and faculty are included in the Administrative and Pilot/Feasibility Study Cores.